That night, Celia strolled into Applebee's with a light heart and a smile on her face. Unlike her last visit, the man she'd come to see was already there, sitting at the bar. She walked up behind Garrett and wrapped her arms around him. Startled, he jumped, then realized right away it was Celia.
Garrett stood and returned a proper hug. The two immediately started talking like long-lost friends reuniting.
"It's so good to finally see you again. How was London? Where else have you been, and why has it taken you so long to make time for me?" Celia rattled out.
Garrett laughed. "It's mostly your fault. That proposal you gave us has our heads spinning. London—gosh, that seems like forever ago now. What was it, three weeks ago? That's a lifetime in my world."
"My proposal? I didn't realize Reagan had passed it on. I've still been working on it, so there are some really sharp improvements."
Garrett smiled. "I have no doubt. It was a very well-crafted doc as it was."
Unsure how to respond, she said, "Thanks. I'd love to talk about it in more detail, though, before you move on it."
"I have every intention. How's everything else in your world?" It felt like he was trying to distract her, but she played along, not wanting to think the worst. "Things have been moving fast here, too. I met a few friends through a girl who lives in my complex. That's been a lot of fun. Work is going great. Oh, and I saw Reagan." Celia had a lot she wanted to share, but she was thrown by the fact they had started implementing her idea.
Justin, Garrett's bartender friend, came by, and distracted, Celia asked, "What kind of red wine do you have?"
Garrett laughed. "Look at you. What kinds of red wine do you have? You're killing me."
She gave him a cutting glance. "Speaking of fault! Whose fault do you think that is?" She turned back to Justin. "Is there a wine list?"
"It's on the back page of the menu. We have limited options," Justin replied.
Turning over the menu, she saw that Justin hadn't lied. The options were very limited. Looking at Garrett, she asked, "What do you usually have?"
Garrett looked at Justin and said, "The usual, please."
"Oh, I remember. An Old Fashioned." She said, "I'll have a Lone Star, please." Justin went to get the drinks.
"I'm not really sure how to process the fact that you've moved forward with my proposal and I knew nothing about it." Celia said, beginning to get mad.
Garrett cleared his throat. His expression turned serious. "That's something I wanted to talk to you about."
"Oh?" Celia's eyebrows rose, and she leaned in toward Garrett.
"As I said, your idea has turned into a monster. It's consuming what little free time I had. I just got back from Dallas, and we closed the deal on three fantasy suites." Celia stepped away from Garrett, a look of outrage on her face. Garrett held up his hands to slow down her reaction.
Garrett took a moment to collect his thoughts. "Reagan is leading the team for now. It's such a simple, obvious idea, and yet none of us thought to do it."
"This is really happening without me?"
"The speed of business. When things start to roll, they take on a life of their own. And don't worry, we know whose idea this is and where it came from."
"What does that mean?" Celia asked, still a true rookie in the workings of major corporations.
Am I getting cut out or what?
The drinks arrived. Garrett held up his Old Fashioned. "I'd like to propose a toast."
Not wanting to jump to the conclusion that this idea was stolen from her, she maintained her composure. "You have the floor," she said with a suspicious undertone "I would like to offer a toast to the person we would very much like to have run the Fantasy Suite division of our company." Garrett looked at her intently.
Celia looked back, confused. "You're going to promote Reagan?" Garrett's eyes smiled at Celia. "No. She's too valuable where she is. And it wouldn't actually be a promotion for her, so that's why we're not going to give her that job. No, I have someone else in mind."
Celia shook her head in disbelief. "Ah, they'd have to have a certain mentality to really understand what that job is all about." She made a tight-lipped, righteous face. "I mean, a good Christian Texan might easily be offended by the concept. You're going to need an open-minded thinker. Why wasn't I part of any of this?"
Garrett said, more pointedly, "You don't seem to be catching on here." He stood and faced her with a solemn expression. "Celia Barlow, I would like to formally offer you the position of Vice President of Operations for the Fantasy Suite division of SDS Entities. We would start you at twice your current salary with CAPPS. You'd be responsible for coordinating all elements of Fantasy Suite design, construction, completion, and total customer satisfaction."
He paused. "So, what do you think?"
Celia stared at him, dumbfounded. Her jaw dropped open in disbelief. She stammered, "You're kidding, right? I mean... you're kidding, right?"
Celia's hands shot to her face, covering it in disbelief. She was no longer outraged; she was stunned.
"Not in the least. We did our due diligence. You're receiving excellent reviews in your current position. With a little digging, we concluded that you're underutilized."
Celia, still confused, asked, "What kind of due diligence? I mean, how did you..." She put two and two together and said with sudden realization, "Ahhh, you were the people calling my boss about me, weren't you? That scared the crap out of me; I thought it was my ex-husband," she chided him even as relief swept over her.
Garrett flashed his eyebrows and sipped his drink. "That was not our intention."
Celia turned, still stunned, gripping the bar rail. After a moment, she said, "Okay, let me get this straight. You want to make me a VP in SDS Entities, pay me twice what I'm making now, and give me a shitload of responsibility? Is that about right?"
"That is exactly right. Reagan is so excited about it that she's been giddy. So, what do you think?" Garrett asked.
Inside, Celia was filled with a combination of exhilaration and abject terror. The idea of getting a job like this had never entered her mind.
"Garrett, I don't know what to say. I never thought... I mean, I can't believe this could be real. I'm still working to get my CPA. I'm not even sure I'm qualified for this job." Her ingrained doubts arrived with a vengeance.
Garrett reached over and placed his hand on her forearm. "You're a lovely woman, and I so enjoy your company, but that wouldn't be enough for me to hire you in any kind of significant position if you weren't qualified." He took a sip of his Old Fashioned, then made his case. "I have a degree in mechanical engineering. I used it to get a job at a tractor company. I was working nine to five and creating a pretty bland existence. But I noticed an opportunity with the city to bid on a development project. I called the office, and the director—the man who could say yes—answered because his secretary was in the bathroom. Had she answered, there's not a chance in hell I would have ever been able to talk to that guy. Because of that quirk of fate, I am where I am today. And you?" He touched her cheek. "A car salesman stood you up, and I took his seat. Fate intervenes again. Don't be afraid of the possibilities. I want you to do this. Reagan wants you to do this, and I think you should damn well do it."
Heat rose from Celia's neck to her cheeks.
"Garrett, I don't know what to say. This is an amazing offer..." She stopped as a surge of uncertainty washed over her. The prospect of stepping into a high-profile role, with new responsibilities and expectations, made her heart race. She worried about leaving her current team in a difficult position, about disappointing the people who believed in her.
The memory of her move to Austin resurfaced—how close she'd come to turning down that opportunity because it meant uprooting her life. Back then, the thought of leaving everything familiar had filled her with dread. She had never taken such a bold leap before, and the fear of failure, of not fitting in, had nearly held her back. Now, faced with another life-changing decision, those same anxieties returned, magnified by the enormity of the offer.
But as she remembered how taking the job in Austin had led to the fantastic life she now lived, Celia felt a flicker of hope. Fear had almost kept her from the best opportunity of her life once before. She was determined not to let it make her choices again.
Celia looked at Garrett and said, "I almost missed out on the best opportunity of my life because I was scared. Luckily, I swallowed my fear, and here I am. It's the same thing right now. I'm scared—terrified, actually—at the enormity of this job, but I'm not going to let fear dictate what I do ever again."
Celia stood, smoothed her blouse, fluffed her skirt, and, in a very formal, official tone, said, "Mr. Tyler, I humbly accept your job offer. I have a responsibility to my current employer to leave them in the best position possible, but once that is dealt with, I'm all yours."
Garrett let out a yell and hugged her. Then he picked up his phone and sent a text. Two minutes later, Reagan came rumbling through the door with a bottle of champagne. Six people followed behind her; several carried balloons and bouquets. They were singing "For She's a Jolly Good Fellow."
Celia's eyes welled up. Reagan came to her and gave her a huge hug. She whispered in her ear, "We are going to rule the world, you and me!"
Reagan introduced the six strangers as SDS employees who would be transferring to the Fantasy Suite division. As each person was introduced, they handed Celia flowers and balloons. Reagan introduced Celia to them as their new boss.
Garrett said, "Okay, everyone. Outside. There's a car waiting. We have reservations at the Four Seasons. Let's go!"